"Why Game Development is becoming prolonged?" Developers analyze on Twitter. The shadow brought by the progress of the game

Game development is becoming prolonged, and discussions to analyze the reasons seem to be active. Various developers share their knowledge because of the questions of a certain person on SNS. In conclusion, the background of the prolonged game development period seems to be a variety of reasons for improving graphics and increasing development.

A lot of intentions started

It was a post on Twitter that many developers put their opinions. On May 29, a developer who plays an active part in the 3D modeling field tweeted, "Is it being discussed somewhere that the game development period is longer than in the past?" did. The developers say the old games have been completed in about two years, but now it takes four to five years to complete the development. He also stated that if there were restrictions due to old hard performance, etc., comparing and analyzing the process may be a hint to reduce the development period. 。

In addition, the developer mentions the cause as a consideration. He commented, "I wonder if the processing is increasing in various parts of the system because of the mechanism to shorten resource production in a half-automatically." He indicates that it is important to determine the important part of the work and to apply resources. Also, a series of tweets seemed to be posted with the desire to clarify the mystery of "what is the growing game development?"

Is the game development period actually growing?

Is the game development period actually growing? On the premise that the development period varies depending on the size of the work and the production system, the release interval of the longevity series is likely to be one indicator. For example, in the case of the Resident Evil series, it was released in 1-2 years in the early days, but it has been more than three years since Resident Evil 0. In addition, Resident Evil 7 Resident Evil has been released for about five years since the previous work, and Resident Evil Village has been released at a interval of about four years. In addition, there are basically similar trends in the longevity series such as "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest".

The cause of the release period is not always the growth of the development period. However, the signboard title, which is a pillar of revenue, may be developed in a short span as possible while balancing the quality and delivering it to fans. Therefore, it is highly likely that the release period growth is correlated with the development period. At least for the popular great game series, you may think that the development period is prolonged. In addition, there is a tendency for the release interval to increase as the game consoles to be developed are replaced, and the increase in development resources due to graphics and other improvements can be seen.

However, although the processing is improved, it seems that some specific mechanisms can be considered. One of them is that it takes time to create a high-definition 3D model. In addition, for masterpieces/popular works, fans will follow the quality of graphics. Developer GANBE commented on the increase in the number of man-hours due to graphic resource increase, game volume increase, and programming correspondence. Furthermore, mention the impact of user opinion. Even if it was a little simple graphic, there were cases where criticism of user came up, and that point was that it was involved in the development of game development.

Project management is also complicated

Ganbe also mentions human factors. As the number of games develops increases, the staff involved in development tends to increase. Division and outsourcing are progressing, communication costs will increase, and divisions for each section will intensify. He states that each section tends to consider each section to be the most important, and if the director and producers cannot clearly show the priority on it, the "civil war" will occur. It is testimony that the enlargement of the project man-hours has spread to human resources management costs, which can lead to dysfunction.

Ganbe also stated that "basically, no new weapons and strategies are re-re-ized at domestic fields, and it will lead to a death march and postponement of the sea tactics." Sales of the management layer and unsuitable solutions may also affect the increase in the development period. Poly-an, a creator involved in modeling, pointed out that he was in a "loop" extended development period, saying that it is a common pattern outside the game industry. In the development plan, the initial estimated deadline is often exceeded. In the next project, the target deadline is set up by passing over the over. However, if the deadline is over again, the idea is that the overpass will be added to the next plan, etc., and the deadline is increasing.

Changes in the "game" itself are also

On the other hand, some have pointed out changes in the game itself. "I think it's one factor that the game has been served as a reason for the game that the game was served," said Shigipon, who was involved in modeling of the "Atelier" series and "Robotics; Notes". He pointed out that the game, which was once a goal, has changed into a service that can be served and continuously provided. Therefore, it is necessary to design games so that resources can be operated for a long time in addition to high quality resources. As a result, he analyzed that the development period was growth. In recent years, patch distribution and DLC's additional content are no longer the basis of large titles. It means that the basic design and development of the game, which is considered after the release, will take some time.

Noriyuki Shimoda, a game researcher who was once a producer in Sega, mentioned multiple possibilities, saying that it was a story that I heard. He talked about changes in localized development and online support, in addition to the increase in graphics man-hours. First, the localization of the game was once developed as a separate project, and it seems that it may have influenced the development period because it has been progressing with the game itself. In recent years, various games have included online compatible functions, and the game mode and volume have increased. As a result, the development period is growing. Games and games that have changed in various forms are likely to affect the development period from multiple angles.

Mr. Shimoda also mentions the impact of the increase in the number of staff members associated with the giant organization, and speculates that the development staff is exceeding the appropriate number of people. He seems to be skeptical of the opinion that "the old days worked for a long time, so it was possible to develop in a short period of time." In recent years, the game industry has been active in avoiding overtime and long working hours, and realizing a healthy way of working. As a result, if the actual working hours of developers have decreased, the development period may increase. However, Mr. Shimoda pointed out that long working hours, aside from projects where "superhumans who can work as much as they work" gather, the productivity is reduced. He has stated that even if working hours are short, it will not necessarily lead to the growth of the development period.

The major causes of the development period of large game titles tend to increase are "graphic richness" and "how to sell games and changes in the system itself". However, when the developers analyze, the specific reasons can be further improved. It seems that there is a multifaceted impact that cannot be cleared up just by simply taking time.

The game changes, the developers change, and the users change. However, both people in their position should say, "I want the development to be efficient and end with good results." As we continue to develop technical development for the next generation of game experiences, developers may be asking themselves what is important to make the game interesting and quick.